Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Back Yard Entertainment

For the last several days I have been under the weather with
a bad cold which has kind of limited my birding to staring out the windows
to our back yard. At times even that limited process can be quite entertaining.Yesterday was a good
example.We have a variety of feeders in
our back yard and attract a good number of little songbirds, warblers,
sparrows, and finches, probably close to a dozen different species.And these little birds are what attracts the bird eating
hawks. Yesterday morning an adult Sharp-shinnedHawk swooped in and all the little guys scattered.In the afternoon this immature Copper’s Hawk
stopped by and again all was quiet at the feeders. Any time I look out into our
backyard and it is devoid of little birds at the feeders it’s a safe bet one of
these hawks has just made a pass.I know
they are some times successful as we found a pile of feathers the other day.